Traumatic haemorrhage into the thyroid simulating major vessel damage from deceleration injury

Abstract

Haemorrhage into the thyroid gland is a well recognized condition but there are few cases in the literature of severe haemorrhage associated with trauma. A case is described of a patient involved in a road traffic accident where the clinical features strongly suggested a diagnosis of great vessel rupture associated with deceleration injury. The importance of considering the possibility of haemorrhage into a retrosternal thyroid gland in a closed chest injury is stressed, as is the importance of arch aortography in management.